Many of the area’s best high school baseball players will take the field this afternoon in the 28th annual High School Seniors All-Star Game.
The doubleheader is sponsored by the Old-Timer’s Baseball Association and will be held at Kircher/Municipal Field, at the intersection of Clippert Street and Michigan Avenue in Lansing. The four teams playing are made up of two seniors from each of the 31 Lansing-area high school teams involved.
Perennial local powers such as Lansing Catholic Central, East Lansing and Charlotte will each send two of their seniors to the game.
Former area standouts have participated in the all-star game, including Toronto Blue Jays reliever Paul Quantrill and MSU senior pitcher Scott Brandell, who was the MVP of his game.
MSU recruit Travis Gulick, of East Lansing, will play in this year’s game. The right-handed pitcher said MSU has been scouting him since the summer of his sophomore year in high school, and his decision wasn’t hard.
“I really liked how they approached me and I love the school,” Gulick said. “It’s where I wanted to go.”
Gulick said he is looking forward to the all-star game because it gives him the opportunity to face local rivals, as well as other players from the area he knows by reputation.
This is the last time many of these seniors will square off against players they’ve competed with throughout their lives. It won’t be the last time for Gulick, though - he’ll also be playing in the state all-star game at Comerica Park later this summer.
Gulick will be the sole representative of the future of Spartan baseball at tonight’s games, because prized MSU pitching recruit Brian Miller of Charlotte will not be there.
Larry Cockroft, who runs the all-star game along with other members of the Old-Timer’s Baseball Association, has been involved with the organization for almost 20 years. The game is only for high school seniors, but Cockroft says the main reason the association holds the annual game is to promote baseball in the Lansing area.
The first game starts at 5:30 p.m. and will be played between the East and West Division teams, followed by the North and South Division game at 8 p.m. Tickets are $4 and children under 12 will be admitted free.
